Costa del Sol Weather in December

Warm for December, not warm enough for a beach holiday. Afternoons average about 17°C and nights about 11°C, so a sunny midday on a sheltered terrace is shirtsleeve weather while the evenings need a proper coat. Calm, clear days are common, and on those the sun keeps real warmth in it right up to Christmas week; under cloud the same afternoon feels like a mild spring day in Britain. The coast is at its quietest, and the promenade belongs to dog walkers and Spanish families out for the paseo.

December is the wettest month of the year on average, though only just: about 123 mm, against 120 mm in November. That total comes down on roughly 8 days with 1 mm or more, so most December days stay dry and a wet one is usually a single heavy day rather than a grey week. A run of rain is still the one real risk of a winter booking, so keep an indoor day in reserve, such as Málaga's museums.

The light is the other thing to plan around. The earliest sunsets of the year come in the first half of December, not on the solstice: the sun goes down at 18:05 on the 1st and barely moves for ten days, then draws out again to 18:15 by New Year's Eve, while the mornings keep getting darker into January. London's sunset that week is 15:55. Some of the gap is the clock, because Spain runs an hour ahead of the UK, but most of it is latitude: 9.9 hours of daylight here on 1 December against 8.2 in London, and 9.7 against 7.9 on the 31st.

A few people do, and it is less brave than it looks. The satellite record for the water off Sabinillas (NASA JPL MUR, 2003–2025) gives December an average of 16.1°C, with the monthly average ranging from 14.7°C in 2008 to 17.2°C in 2022. The sea is still giving back the summer's heat and does not reach its coldest until February, when the average is 14.8°C, so a December dip is the milder of the two.

The odd thing about December is that the water is usually warmer than the night air: a sea of about 16°C against overnight lows of around 11°C. That warm water helps keep winter nights on this shoreline mild by inland standards. For swimmers, a Christmas-morning dip is a quick in-and-out for the hardy, a wetsuit makes a proper swim possible, and children will paddle rather than swim.

December's sea swings between extremes. In a four-year wave record for the water just offshore (Open-Meteo hindcast, 2022–2025), about 45% of December days stayed under half a metre, the highest share of any month, yet around 25% reached a metre or more when winter swell came through. Pick a flat, sunny late morning and you may have the beach to yourself.

Two stretches of December run on Spanish holiday time. The first is the puente. In 2026 Constitution Day falls on Sunday 6 December, so Andalucía moves it to Monday 7 December, and Tuesday 8 December is the Inmaculada: Saturday 5 to Tuesday 8 December becomes a four-day weekend. Families drive down from Madrid, Seville and Córdoba, promenade restaurants fill at weekend lunchtimes, and the Monday is the busiest day of the season at Málaga's lights and the popular day-trip sites. Large shops may open on the Monday but must close on the Tuesday, which is not one of Andalucía's authorised trading days.

The second is Christmas week, which has a different shape from the British one. El Gordo, the Christmas lottery, is drawn on Tuesday 22 December. Christmas Eve is a working day until early afternoon, Christmas Day is a national holiday with almost everything shut, and 26 December is an ordinary working day in Andalucía, with no Boxing Day. New Year's Eve closes early again and 1 January is shut. For last-minute shopping, the Sundays of 13, 20 and 27 December are authorised trading days, so the big supermarkets may open.

Layers, because the gap between sun and shade is at its widest this month. Bring a warm coat or padded jacket for the evenings and for standing about at Málaga's lights, a jumper for the balcony, and something short-sleeved for lunch in the sun. A waterproof matters more now than at any other time of year. Add one smart outfit if you are booking a Nochebuena or Nochevieja dinner, warmer layers again for Ronda or the mountain villages, and swimwear only if you mean to try the Christmas-morning dip.

November is a couple of degrees warmer, with afternoons around 19°C and a 17°C sea, plus the Copper Forest and All Saints, but there is little festive feeling until the lights go on at the end of the month. December sits at about 17°C by day, is slightly wetter on average and has the whole Spanish Christmas calendar. January is the coolest month for the air, around 16°C by day and 10°C at night, with a sea of about 15°C, and the lights stay up until Reyes on 6 January. Choose December for the festivities, November for the last of the autumn warmth.